JP2006187601A - Golf ball - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a highly fashionable golf ball with rich color feeling while keeping excellent repulsive property and scratch resistance. <P>SOLUTION: The golf ball has a major region colored by a dark color on a whole or a part of a ball surface and a relatively bright display portion of characters, graphics or others within the major region, the brightness L is not more than 45 when showing the dark color within the major region by a Lab color system and the chroma saturation C shown by (a<SP>2</SP>+b<SP>2</SP>)<SP>1/2</SP>is not more than 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a golf ball having a colored ball surface. More specifically, the present invention relates to a golf ball having high fashionability and excellent visibility, resilience and scratch resistance.

  Regarding the color to be colored on the golf ball, the color which is colored white is mainly used, but in addition to white, so-called color balls in which bright colors such as orange and yellow are imparted to the surface of the ball are also commercially available.

  Recently, various customers have started playing golf, and the number of female golfers has been increasing year by year. The above-mentioned color balls meet these demands for traditionally used white balls. It is suitable for In other words, the color ball has an advantage that it is highly fashionable in terms of color and easily gives a sense of color.

  However, the conventional color ball only gives the appearance of the ball, and there is no substantial difference from the white ball in terms of ball performance.

JP 2000-254251 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-81350

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a golf ball that is excellent in ball performance originally required for a golf ball, has high fashionability, and has excellent visibility.

As a result of intensive studies to achieve the above object, the present inventors have found that all or a part of the ball surface has a dark colored main area and characters having a relatively light tone in the main area, When a display portion such as a figure is formed and the dark color of the main area is represented by the Lab display method, the lightness L is 45 or less and the saturation C represented by (a ² + b ² ) ^1/2 is 5 or less. It has been found that by adjusting the shade of the dark color, the ball characteristics such as resilience and scratch resistance can be improved, and at the same time, a color ball having high color sense and high fashionability can be provided. It came to make.

Accordingly, the present invention provides the following golf balls.
[1] All or part of the surface of the ball is provided with a dark colored main area and a display portion of characters, figures, etc. of relatively bright colors in the main area. A golf ball having a lightness L of 45 or less and a saturation C represented by (a ² + b ² ) ^1/2 of 5 or less when expressed by a display method.
[2] The golf ball of [1], wherein the main area is black.
[3] The golf ball of [1] or [2], wherein the Lab color difference ΔE between the color of the main area and the color of the display section is 30 or more.
[4] The golf ball according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein a difference between the lightness L of the color of the main area and the lightness L of the color of the display section is 25 or more.
[5] The golf ball according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the display unit includes a plurality of colors.
[6] The golf ball according to any one of [1] to [5], wherein a plurality of the display portions are formed on the ball surface.
[7] The golf ball of [6], wherein the display section is distributed substantially uniformly on the ball surface.
[8] The golf ball according to any one of [1] to [7], wherein an area occupancy ratio between a main area and a display portion in the entire ball surface is 70:30 to 99: 1.

  The golf ball of the present invention is rich in color sense while maintaining excellent resilience and scratch resistance, and has high fashionability.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail.
In the golf ball of the present invention, a dark main area typified by black is formed on the whole or a part of the ball surface, and a display portion having a relatively bright color tone is formed in the main area. It is characterized by. FIG. 1 is a front view showing the surface of a golf ball according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, G is a golf ball, T is a display portion, and W is a main area on the ball surface. This area is dark.

In the present invention, when the dark color of the main area W is represented by the Lab display method, the lightness L is 45 or less, and the saturation C represented by (a ² + b ² ) ^1/2 is 5 or less. Features.

  Here, the Lab colorimetric method is obtained from the following equation using tristimulus values X, Y, and Z defined in JIS Z8730.

L = 10Y ^1/2 (1)
a = 17.5 (1.02X−Y) / Y ^1/2 (2)
b = 7.0 (Y-0.847Z) / Y1 / ² (3)
Here, L: Lightness index in the color difference formula of Hunter (R. S. Hunter).
For color coordinates in the Hunter color difference formula,
a, b: Color coordinates in Hunter's color difference formula X, Y, Z: Tristimulus values X, Y, Z in the X, Y, Z color display.

  Among the Lab color specifications, L represents lightness, and values from 100 to 0 are obtained. Lightness refers to the state of color brightness, that is, the degree of brightness. A larger L value means brighter.

  Further, a and b represent colors, a represents a red-green direction, and b represents a yellow-blue direction. Therefore, redness becomes stronger as the value a becomes larger, greenishness becomes stronger as the value a becomes smaller, yellowishness becomes stronger as the value b becomes larger, and blueness becomes stronger as the value a becomes smaller. The relationship between a and b is summarized as shown in Table 1 below.

  In the present invention, the lightness L of the color of the main area W other than the display portion T is 45 or less, preferably 40 or less, more preferably 35 or less, and still more preferably 30 or less.

  As the value of saturation C increases, the color becomes brighter. Conversely, when the value is decreased, the color becomes dull, and near 0, the color becomes gray. The saturation C of the color of the main area W in the present invention is 5 or less, preferably 4 or less, more preferably 3 or less, and most preferably 2 or less.

The Lab color difference (Hunter Lab color difference) between the color of the main area W and the color of the display portion T is obtained, and the color difference ΔE between them is calculated. That is, the Lab color difference (L1, a1, b1) of the main area and the Lab color difference (L2, a2, b2) of the display unit are measured, and the difference ΔL = L1-L2, Δa = a1-a2, Δb = b1-b2 is calculated, and the color difference ΔE between the two is obtained from the following equation.
ΔE = (ΔL ² + Δa ² + Δb ² ) ^1/2

  In this case, the color difference ΔE is 30 or more, preferably 35 or more, more preferably 40 or more, and still more preferably 50 or more. If the color difference ΔE is less than 30, the color of the main area W and the display part will be similar, and the visibility of the display part T will be reduced.

  The upper limit of the color difference ΔE is not particularly limited, but is 150 or less, preferably 120 or less, and more preferably 100 or less from the aesthetic viewpoint in ball production.

  Specific examples of the display unit T include trademarks, abbreviations, and the like made up of letters such as alphabets, numbers, kanji, kana, symbols, and various figures. The color of the display portion T can be appropriately selected from the aspect of the aesthetic appearance of the ball depending on the color used for the play number or the like, the degree of dark color of the main area of the ball surface, and the like.

  The color of the display unit T may be a single color, but for the purpose of adding a more sufficient aesthetic element, a plurality of different colors can be combined, for example, 2 to 4 colors. In this case, it is preferable to color the entire spherical surface as evenly as possible.

  In FIG. 2, the display portion T shows a mode in which the display portion T is formed at positions facing each other (front and back) on the ball surface. The ball G in FIG. 2 has a two-layer structure, 1 is a solid core, 2 is a cover, and D is a dimple.

  In the present invention, the dark area and the surface area occupation ratio of the display portion in the entire ball sphere are 70:30 or more, preferably 80:20 or more, more preferably 90:10 or more, when the dark area is displayed as the center. The upper limit is 99: 1 or less, preferably 98: 2 or less, more preferably 95: 5 or less. When the ratio of the dark area is less than 70:30, the aesthetic surface of the golf ball is impaired. On the other hand, when it exceeds 99: 1, a problem arises from the viewpoint of visibility.

  In the present invention, the type and structure of the golf ball are not particularly limited. That is, the core covered by the cover is not particularly limited, and may be a wound golf ball using a thread wound core. In the case of a solid golf ball using a solid core, the layer structure of the ball is 1 piece. , Two pieces and more multi-pieces. In addition, as a bobbin core and a solid core, the thing similar to a normal bobbin core or a solid core can be used, and the core obtained by the well-known material and the conventional method can be used.

  The cover material may be, for example, an ionomer resin, a polyester elastomer, a thermoplastic or thermosetting polyurethane elastomer alone, or a resin mixture obtained by mixing these resins with a polyamide resin, an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, or the like. Can be used.

  In addition, titanium oxide, barium sulfate, a dispersant, carbon black, various pigments, polyethylene wax, tungsten, and the like can be appropriately blended in the cover composition, and the Lab table of the cover can be adjusted by adjusting these blending amounts. The color can be adjusted to the optimum one.

  The golf ball of the present invention can be manufactured by a known method. For example, when a two-piece or multi-piece solid golf ball is used, the heat-molded product is used as a solid core and a predetermined injection molding metal is used. In the case of a two-piece solid golf ball, the cover material is arranged in a mold, and in the case of a multi-piece solid golf ball, a known method of sequentially injecting the intermediate layer material and the cover material in accordance with a predetermined method is preferably used. Can be adopted. In some cases, the cover material can be manufactured by pressure molding.

  In addition, as a method for forming the display portion, a known method can be used, and specifically, a method such as engraving, inkjet, or special ink that develops color when irradiated with special light such as ultraviolet rays is suitably employed. be able to.

  The ball properties such as mass and diameter of the golf ball of the present invention can be appropriately selected according to the golf ball rules.

  In the golf ball of the present invention, the surface of the ball may be painted. In this case, a paint that is usually used may be used for coating, but the ball surface is coated with a color other than white, specifically, a lightness L of 45 or less, and various polarizing materials are used. By including it in the paint, the ball surface can exhibit glossiness, and the ball appearance can be satisfactorily finished as compared with the case where no polarizing material is contained. Specifically, the color flop property is expressed by the interference action by the reflected light from the polarizing material, and a ball appearance excellent in fashionability and high-class feeling can be obtained. As such a paint, for example, a paint containing 1.25% by mass of a polarizing material “Iriodin 153” (manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc.) with respect to a two-component curable urethane paint having a solid content of 35%.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example and a comparative example are shown and this invention is demonstrated concretely, this invention is not restrict | limited to the following Example.

[Examples 1 to 10, Comparative Examples 1 to 5]
A rubber composition having the following composition was kneaded with a kneading roll and heated and pressed to form a solid core having a diameter of 40.3 mm.

<Rubber composition>
Cis-1,4-polybutadiene 100 parts by mass Zinc acrylate 25 parts by mass Zinc oxide 14 parts by mass Anti-aging agent 0.1 part by mass Dicumyl peroxide 1.5 parts by mass

  Around the obtained core, a cover material shown in Table 2 below was coated by injection molding, and a two-piece golf ball with a diameter of 42.7 mm provided with a cover layer having a thickness of 1.2 mm was provided in each example and comparative example. Created for each.

  The golf ball of the present invention and a conventionally known white golf ball are referred to as Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, respectively, and both balls are exposed to direct sunlight for a predetermined time, resulting in temperature changes and temperatures on the ball surface. The resilience and scratch resistance after the change were evaluated. The results are shown in Table 3 below.

After the ball of the resilience performance was irradiated with sunlight for 180 minutes, the initial velocity at a striking velocity of 43.83 m / s (143.8 ft / s) was measured using a drum rotation type initial velocity measuring device by USGA.

After irradiating the target scratch-resistant ball with sunlight for 180 minutes, two types of clubs, a pitching wedge Eagle manufactured by Bridgestone Sports and a pitching wedge Gravistar manufactured by Spalding, were each used at a head speed (HS) of 33 m / s at a head speed (HS) of 33 m / s. The ball was struck and the appearance was inspected by three inspectors. The larger the number, the better the scuff resistance.

  Next, golf balls of Examples 2 to 10 and Comparative Examples 2 to 5 were produced as examples of the present invention and conventional examples in which the color difference was changed by variously changing the color of the display portion applied to the dark color area of the ball. did. In addition, the area ratio of the display part with respect to the surface of the dark color area (area displayed in black or dark blue) in each example is 80:20. The visibility of these golf balls was evaluated. The results are shown in Table 4 below.

Visibility 10 discriminators evaluated the visibility of the display part formed on the ball surface according to the following criteria.
A: It was judged that 8 or more people were easy to see.
○: It was judged that 5 to 7 people were easy to see.
Δ: It was judged that 3 or 4 people were easy to see.
X: It was judged that two or less persons were easy to see.

  As shown in the results of Tables 3 and 4, the golf ball of the present invention has a ball surface that is exposed to sunlight because the main area of the ball surface is represented by a dark color whose color tone is optimized. The temperature rises, and the effect of the same temperature rise can be obtained even in a relatively short time of irradiation or even on a cold day. As a result, the resilience and scratch resistance of the golf ball can be advantageously improved. In addition, the golf ball of the present invention can provide brightness contrast based on a relatively brightly colored display unit, and after hitting the ball, the player's visibility is high due to the visibility of the display unit, It can be seen that the golf ball is more advantageous to the player than the conventional white single color ball.

It is the front view which showed the mode of the surface of the golf ball which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a cross-sectional view of the ball shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

G Ball W Main area T Display part 1 Solid core 2 Cover D Dimple

Claims (8)

The whole or part of the ball surface is provided with a dark colored main area and a display portion of characters, figures, etc. in a relatively light color tone in the main area. The dark color of the main area is expressed by the Lab display method. A golf ball having a lightness L of 45 or less and a saturation C represented by (a ² + b ² ) ^1/2 of 5 or less.   The golf ball of claim 1, wherein the main area is black.   The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein a Lab color difference ΔE between the color of the main area and the color of the display unit is 30 or more.   The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein a difference between the lightness L of the color of the main area and the lightness L of the color of the display unit is 25 or more.   The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is composed of a plurality of colors.   The golf ball according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the display portions are formed on the ball surface.   The golf ball according to claim 6, wherein the display portions are distributed substantially uniformly on the ball surface. The golf ball according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein an area occupancy ratio between a main area and a display portion on the entire ball surface is 70:30 to 99: 1.

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